Tuesday, 26 August 2025

Ambulance services

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (00:54): (1875) My adjournment is to the Minister for Health. Last week a resident told me that they waited hours for an ambulance and none came. They ended up taking the lady directly to Bendigo Hospital, only to have them admitted immediately because of the seriousness of their condition. I also received a letter from a staff member in the aged care sector in Bendigo:

… during a recent visit, I met an elderly individual living in deplorable conditions who needed medical attention for wound care but couldn’t access transportation for their appointments. Multiple calls to service providers were made, but none had the funds or capacity to assist. In another instance, an elderly person required transportation for cancer treatment. While they were taken to the hospital by ambulance, they were supposed to be transported back home the same way. However, due to an emergency call, the ambulance was unavailable, and the elderly person had to travel home by public transport in the dark, leading to a fall at the station and subsequent hospitalization.

Daily, we receive numerous calls from desperate families and elderly individuals seeking assistance.

Minister, I ask the government to urgently address the ambulance ramping and the severe shortage of patient transport services in Northern Victoria.